Monday, July 9, 2012

Startling Results Surrounding Elder Abuse

A recent article by Philly.com shed some light onto the occurrence of elder abuse in Pennsylvania and across the United States in general. Unfortunately, elder abuse is on the rise. As the article stated, there were several highly publicized cases in the last few years, including one in Flagstaff, Arizona and another in Chicago, Illinois. Although both of those cases involved abuse at the hands of family members, it is estimated that elders lose almost $3B every year due to financial fraud from strangers. According to the article, "A 2001 Congressional Report documented that nearly one-third of all nursing homes and other
long-term care facilities have been cited for elder abuse. This is a growing problem that remains poorly understood. Some studies
have estimated that as much as 5 percent of elderly Americans have been
victimized. Elderly people who are socially isolated and mentally
impaired are at greater risk, but more research is needed to improve our
understanding of this complex problem."

In Pennsylvania alone, about 18,000 cases were reported and 40% were confirmed, resulting in an alarming 7,200 confirmed cases. If you or a loved one may be a victim of elder abuse, you can report it in Pennsylvania via this phone number: 1-800-490-8505 or the National Center on Elder Abuse at 1-800-677-1116. Attorney Doug Stoehr also takes legal action for victims of elder abuse. For more information on his central Pennsylvania practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website here.